Universities UK International governance

​We are accountable to the UUK board, and UUK’s International Policy Network (IPN) advises and steers our work.

The current IPN Chair is the University of Exeter’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor Sir Steve Smith, also a UUK board member, ensuring accountability to this group. In addition, he chairs our International Strategic Advisory Board (ISAB) through which we are accountable to and receive advice from our funders.

The International Strategic Advisory Board:

provides strategic direction and share insights and intelligence on international higher education issues

advises on strategies to ensure buy-in from constituent parts of the UK

focuses the sector's engagement in the European higher education agenda and discuss and approve formal UK higher education positions on key European (including Bologna process) and European Commission issues and activities

discusses international higher education issues and stakeholder positions and consider appropriate sector-wide responses to them

discusses and determines our priorities

Funders can send one representative to each ISAB meeting, while Universities UK is represented by its chief executive and three nominated UUK members. UUK seeks to ensure these members represent the geographical and institutional diversity of its membership, and have the experience necessary to provide high-level strategic direction to our work. GuildHE is represented by its chief executive and also nominates a member to sit on the board.